Animal Girl Cera
by weirdochick79
Summary: A girl who grew up, raised by deer? Get to know Cera, love her or hate her. With her friend Sin, a baby bird, she's off to gain experience with the humans that live around her, but she may encounter a few problems joining the world she belongs to.
1. New Girl Out of the Woods

Hi ppls! Just saying this is my first fan-fic! X3 yyaaayyy! So this is a story I made with my fan character, sort of obvious. I tried to skip over some boring parts that you guys would already know, but there's still a lot. Yeah, and there's a reason she's called animal girl. read to see!

Also know that this is also on deviantart under the Mika20057. that account is mine.

~~~~~~~~~*squigglies*~~~~~~~~~

"Mum, I said I'd be fine visiting the villages," I giggled as she licked my cheek again.  
'I know, but I worry,' she said and nuzzled the spot where she'd licked.  
I giggled again and then turned to dad with a sigh.  
'You know you shouldn't," he warned.  
"But how will I learn about the world if I just stay here in the forest?" I countered.  
He shook his head, hitting a nearby tree branch with his antlers and growled, 'You could get hurt!'  
"I'll have sin with me," I smiled, pointing to the bird's nest on my head.  
'She's only a baby like you!' he snorted, raising himself up on two feet.  
'Settle down dear,' she hushed, "She's only going over the mountain. You've been there many times and you said yourself that the humans are nice.'  
'I wanna go, I wanna go!' chanted sin from my head.  
'But Cera is different to those humans,' he tried weakly to find a reason.  
"I'll be fine," I assured him, "if I need help, I'll whistle, or Sin can fly back here to get you."  
'Yay, fly, fly,' Sin cheeped and flew around my head dizzyingly.  
"Get back in your nest," I scowled, "or else you won't go."  
"Okay, Cera," she giggled and landed with a small thud on my head.  
'I still think this is a bad idea,' dad mumbled.  
'How else will she learn from her own kind?' mum asked.  
'When she's older,' he replied defiantly.  
"It's been 16 years since you found me dad, I need to do this," I pleaded.  
'Fine, but you must send us a message every day, and don't talk to strangers,' he began the list again for the third time today.  
"Okay, I got it!" I yelled behind me, running off towards my destination.  
'Wait!' my mum called.  
I stopped and ran back to find her searching a bush beside her. She removed something blue with a shiny surface on it.  
"Mum," I choked, "How?"  
"I found it in the forest when I was searching for food," she smiled and handed the object to me.  
It was a headband that we often saw other humans wearing when they travelled past our home. It had a small shape on the shiny part that was a rectangle shape but looked like it had been squished in the middle.  
"Thank you mum, dad," I cried, hugging them tightly.  
'Be a good girl and look after yourself,' my dad whispered.  
I turned and ran off, waving to them behind me as I headed off to the biggest adventure of my life.

~~~~~~~~~*squigglies*~~~~~~~~~

My name is Cera, and I'm a human who was raised by animals. My mum and dad are deer who found me after they saw some humans running away, my real parents. I often wonder who they are, and then I remember that I don't need them because to me, my real parents are the ones who raised me. Sin is a baby bird. She's just like a little sister to me. Her parents were eaten by some wild cats a while ago, but she doesn't know. I didn't tell her because it might traumatise her. A fear of cats isn't the best thing when your friend's are cats, other than me, of course. So I've been planning this trip for a few years, but my dad would always stop me. This time I had mum on my side and we'd won him over.

~~~~~~~~~*squigglies*~~~~~~~~~

'Cera?' Sin peeped.  
"Yeah," I looked up.  
'Are we going to a good place?' she asked as she flew out of her nest and landed on my hand.  
"I hope so," I replied, "I don't know that much about it so it might be scary."  
'Bring it on!' she growled ferociously, well, as ferocious as a baby bird can be.  
"You're my protector if anything happens then," I laughed.  
'Yep!' she agreed and saluted me.  
"We're almost there," I said as I sighted a large clearing with a sign up ahead, "hop back in your nest until I need you."  
'Okay,' she said quickly and flew up above my head.  
I knew that she really wasn't one to protect, she was a baby after all. Even if she had mean temper.  
I exited the forest to find a huge wall with a gate that was small in comparison. There were two men at the gate on guard duty. I walked over to them and they smiled at me.  
"Umm, hi," said embarrassingly.  
"Hi," one greeted me back, "What's your name?"  
"Cera," I replied.  
He wrote down something and then said, "Village?"  
"Umm," I thought quickly and pulled out the headband.  
"Oh, a sand ninja," he smiled again and wrote it down.  
So this was a sand headband. I put it away in my small, woven bag.  
"What business do you have today?" he asked casually.  
"I'm visiting a friend," I replied with the first thing that came to my head.  
"Very good," he nodded and finished writing down the information. I sighed in relief.  
"Have a nice time here," he waved me off and I entered the village.  
It was bigger than I'd expected it to be. People walking around, shops everywhere trying to sell their goods, kids playing in the street. It was like a party to me, but this was just the day-to-day norm for them.  
I started walking along, looking at the shops. Some of the owners tried to persuade me to buy something; others just smiled and watched me browse. It was too bad I had no money, or I would have bought everything I laid my eyes on. I was walking along when I passed a boy with red stripes on his cheeks, he smelled canine to me, and then I saw the large dog follow him and I understood why. I felt him stop behind me and heard him sniff the air. I quickened my pace but he caught me easily.  
"Hi," he greeted, grabbing my arm.  
"Hello," I replied, not meeting his eyes.  
"Who are you?" he asked, "I don't think I've smelled you around."  
'Me either,' the dog agreed.  
"My name is Cera. I came to visit a friend," I told him, still not looking at his face.  
"You don't smell human," he stated calmly.  
I looked at him then and he was smirking.  
"I live in the forest," I mumbled, "with lots of wild animals."  
"I guess that makes sense," he thought aloud.  
'You smell like a deer,' the dog barked.  
"That's because my mum and dad are deer," I told him.  
"You're parents are deer?' the boy asked incredulously.  
'You can understand me?" the dog whimpered in surprise.  
"What's wrong Akamaru?" asked the boy.  
"You can't understand him?" I inquired.  
"Sure I can!" he yelled, still tending to Akamaru.  
"But not what he says," I stated.  
"Of course I can," he replied angrily.  
"Then what frightened him?" I asked smugly.  
"Umm," he stalled.  
After about half a minute he sighed, "I don't know."  
"I took him off guard when I told him why I smell like a deer to him," I sighed too.  
"Really?" he sniffed the air and then said, "Yeah, you do smell like a deer."  
'Uhhh," Akamaru started.  
"What is it?" I asked.  
'Could you tell Kiba to put more meat in my dinner?' he asked shyly, 'I feel like I'm shrivelling here.'  
"Akamaru would like some more meat in his dinner, Kiba," I told him.  
"How did you know my name?" he asked, staring.  
I pointed at Akamaru and said, "He told me."  
Kiba still looked sceptical but he shrugged and smiled. A girl walked up beside him. She had long, dark blue-black hair and her eyes were really pretty.  
"Hi Kiba," she smiled.  
"Hey Hinata," he replied, not looking at her, "Meet, uuum, what was your name again?"  
"I'm Cera," I introduced my self.  
"My name's Hinata Hyuuga," she laughed looking at Kiba.  
"I'm new to here, could you show me around?" I asked shyly.  
"Sure," she agreed.  
We started walking and Kiba and Akamaru followed.  
"Didn't you have something to do Kiba?" Hinata inquired.  
"Yeah, but this is more important," he said.  
'Cera, Cera!' Sin peeped from her nest, 'What's going on?'  
"Come out and see," I told her.  
Hinata looked at me questioningly and Kiba kept staring. Sin flew out and landed on my hand.  
'Woooow!' she said looking around.  
"A bird?" Hinata questioned.  
"What's her name?" Kiba asked.  
"Sin," I smiled.  
'Yup, yup," she agreed.  
'Bird!' Akamaru barked and growled, 'I'll eat you!'  
'Bring it dog!' Sin challenged, tweeting like there was no tomorrow.  
"What's going on?" Hinata asked.  
"Akamaru wants to eat Sin," I explained, "and Sin wants him to try it."  
"I hope that little bird has some bite to go with that bark," Kiba laughed, petting Akamaru.  
'I'll give you bite!' Sin chirped taking flight.  
She landed on his head and started pecking as hard as she could.  
"Ow!" he yelped in pain, "Get off me!"  
"You challenged her," I smiled and shrugged.  
Sin pecked him harder and he whimpered, "Okay, okay! You have plenty of bite!"  
She flew back to my hand and said, "You better believe I do."

Lol so Sin has some temper problems, but that'll be nothing compared to when Cera meets Neji. Teehee! You'll just have to see!


	2. Underestimation, Bad For the Body

Continuing on from last, attack of the baby bird! lol get to see more characters now, some aren't too impressed with the newbie, *cough*neji*cough* ugh! so enjoy!

'You're pretty tough for a baby,' Akamaru appraised.

'Thank you,' she giggled, falling over.

"Get back in your nest now," I said sternly.

'Okay Cera,' she continued giggling as I dropped her lightly into the nest.

"Feisty little thing," Kiba mumbled, rubbing his head.

Hinata was laughing at him into her hand. I smiled widely and Kiba smiled back.

"Hinata, Kiba!" called a woman's voice behind me.

I turned to and saw that she had bright red eyes and long black hair. I recoiled a little at the eyes but then she smiled and I could see the warmth in them. A boy wearing sunglasses and a high collared jacket flanked her. He seemed to shy away from the other humans that passed in the opposite direction and I could hear a slight humming sound emanating from his body.

"Kurenai-sensei, Shino," Kiba called back, waving.

As they approached, the humming got louder and became a loud buzzing noise.

"Insects?" I questioned when he was near.

He looked at me but I couldn't tell what expression he had on his face.

"Who's this?" Kurenai asked.

"Cera," Kiba said shortly.

I glowered at him, growling slightly at the short introduction.

"My name is Kurenai," she held her hand out.

I shook it and smiled. She had a warm hand.

"You must be Shino," I said, turning to him.

He stared at me and the humming became erratic. Some beetles started flying out from beneath his jacket and headed towards me.

"Stop," I hissed to the beetles.

They obeyed and Shino stepped back.

"H-how?" He stuttered.

"How what?" I inquired.

"How did you get my insects to do what you say?" he asked, quivering.

"I can speak to them," I stated, "I can understand them on a simple level that you cannot."

His eyebrows turned down at this. I held my hand out and he took it. The beetles flew back to him and the buzzing became almost unnoticeable.

"You seem to be a pretty capable," he told me.

"Thanks, I guess," I replied awkwardly.

Kiba put his arm around my shoulder and started singing, "Shino and Cera sitting in a tree."

"Kiba!" Kurenai scolded, but all he did was laugh.

"I assure you, you are mistaken," Shino said coldly.

"Kurenai sensei, Cera asked me to take her on a tour of the village," Hinata said, still giggling at Kiba.

"That's a good idea," Kurenai encouraged.

"Come on!" I exclaimed, grabbing her Hinata's hand and running off.

She struggled to keep up so I slowed down again after we got far enough away from the others.

"Thank you," she puffed.

"Hey Hinata?" I started.

"Yeah?" she said still trying to regain her breathe.

"Can you take me to meet as many people my age as possible?" I asked, slurring the words together in my excitement.

"Sure," she agreed, "I think there were some people training in an area near here."

"Do you know who they are?" I asked as I began hopping up and down.

"I think it was Gai sensei's team, Lee, Ten-ten and my cousin, Neji," she told me, "and Kakashi Sensei's team. He has Naruto, Sai and Sakura, plus Shikamaru and Ino from Asuma-sensei's group."

"What type of training are they doing?" I inquired.

"Neji told me it was battling team verses team, one on one," she explained.

We walked towards a part of the village cloaked in trees. Hinata told me stuff about the village and I told her about my home. She seemed just as interested in my home as I was in hers. She told me about some of the people who lived here.

"What about that the other one you said?" I asked.

"Sai?" she inquired and I nodded. "He's sort of hard to describe. He's quiet and can be rude. Naruto told me that up until a little while ago, he was trained not to have emotions."

"That's so sad," I sighed.

We entered a clearing to find two people fighting in the centre and six sitting to the side watching. A girl with pink hair, Sakura from what Hinata had told me, and a blonde girl, Ino, were the ones fighting. They were really going at it and I was hypnotised as Hinata led me to the others.

"Hey Hinata, who's your friend?" asked the spiky, blonde haired boy.

"H-hi N-N-Naruto," Hinata stuttered.

I was still watching the match as I sat next to a boy with sleek, black hair. He turned to look at me but I ignored him as the sparring continued. I was vaguely aware of the conversation going on behind me.

"She seems to like the fight," I soft voice said to my left.

"I've never met someone with her abilities," Hinata spoke.

"What does she do?" asked a monotonous voice directly above me.

"She can talk to animals," Hinata told them.

I sighed and turned on the spot. They were staring at me in the same way as Kiba. I looked up and saw that it the boy called Shikamaru was on a branch in the tree above me. There was another canine scent, sweeter than Kiba's but more wolf-like, blowing towards me. Hinata looked at me worriedly as I stood up.

"Hi," I smiled, "it's very nice to meet you all. My name is Cera and my friend Sin is on my head."

They're eyes grew wider and I giggled. So did Sin. All eyes turned to the nest-hat I wore as she took off and landed on the ground in front of me.

'My name is Sin,' she cheeped, 'I'm a ferocious death machine wrapped up in cute, fluffy feathers.'

They looked at me, waiting.

"She said her name is Sin and she's a ferocious death machine wrapped in cute feathers," I translated for them.

"Hinata, Neji, use byakugan," the grey haired ninja with a half hidden face instructed.

I knew it was it was Kakashi because Hinata had only told me about one sensei, Gai, in the time we took to get to the spot, and this guy was definitely not over-the-top happy and pumped to train at all.

Hinata and her cousin made a sign with they're hands and said the same word, "Byakugan."

I stood there, expecting something to happen to me but nothing did. I stared intently at Kakashi and he just smiled back. I wondered what he was hiding for. The breeze blew again and I realised he had the sweet wolf smell, mixed with the smell of several other dogs.

"Wolf," I said, instinctively backing off from the danger.

"Her chakras are strong," Neji said.

"Chakras?" I inquired.

I had heard the term often from travelling ninja, but I had never expected it to have anything to do with me.

"They're different from anything I've ever seen before," Hinata stated, "It seems to concentrate at different places to normal humans."

I smiled. Different was nice. I'd always liked being able to do things my friends in the forest couldn't.

"She seems unaware of the power though," Neji shrugged, turning away.

I glared at him and growled, "I'm right here and I have a name, so please use it."

"Why should I bother?" he sighed still not looking at me, "even with your strength, I could still take you easily."

I dashed forward grabbing his shirt with one hand and heaving him up in the air against the tree. He looked at me now that I held his chin and forced him to.

"Is that a challenge, caged little birdie," I sneered as I registered his scent too, "I think you're probably jealous of my friend Sin right now. I mean, she can fly freely wherever she wants, but you're tied down, aren't you?"

His eyes widened and he started to gasp for air. I realised that I shouldn't have done or said that to him. I dropped him and returned swiftly to Sai's side. I don't know why, but he felt safer than Hinata and I hadn't even heard him speak yet.

"Wow," Shikamaru snickered from the tree, "I think Neji just underestimated you a lot."

"How did she know about that mark on your forehead, Neji?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know but she's definitely dangerous," Neji replied, still gasping for air slightly.

I flushed slightly and mumbled, "I'm sorry, but you shouldn't be so mean to someone you just met."

I felt soft hands on my shoulders and looked to see that it was Ino and Sakura behind me.

"She's right Neji," Sakura spoke, "You should give people a chance before judging them.

"I'm glad she knocked you down a few pegs," Ino said and smiled at me, "Now you won't be so high and mighty because of your special jutsu."

"Thank you," I smiled at them.

I looked around and realised that I had completely missed some people.

"Where are Gai sensei, Ten-ten and Lee?" I asked, looking up at the Kakashi as Sin decided to return to her nest.

"Gai took Lee for 'special' training that was top secret and he needed Ten-ten to help," he replied smiling again.

"She can read minds too!" Naruto burst out.

"N-no Naruto, I told her who was going to be here," Hinata corrected.

Yay! that'll show Neji! lol, get ready for what will come out of Sai's mouth, you know it'll be bad! XD till next!


	3. First Fight

continuation! yayy! thanks to shikamaru lover4ever, who is my first fan! thankiieesss! kay so get ready for this action packed story, cus the next chapter is REEEAAAALLLLYYYY girly! Enjoys X3

"Oh," was all he said.

"So you can really talk to animals?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," I nodded and they sat in front of me, " I can also tell the scent of a human based on other animals."

"Really? Do me. Do me!" she insisted.

I sniffed at her and thought about how to make it nicer sounding.

"You're name, pig," I stated slowly holding one finger up as her smile fell and Sakura laughed. "Pigs are very strong willed and clean creatures. My friend when I was little was one."

Ino beamed and Sakura Said, "Me next!"

I sniffed again and had to concentrate.

"You're harder," I started, "you're not like an animal, more plant like."

Ino started to laugh and I figured out what it was I could smell.

"Spring!" I shouted in my conclusion, making everyone jump. "Blooming flowers, but more like a tree, also with a strong will. I think you're your name just like Ino."

They both beamed at the new knowledge. I was preoccupied with a small flash I'd seen to my left where Sai sat. He was smiling widely at me and I blushed.

"Hi," I mumbled.

"Hi," he copied my greeting, "I'm Sai."

"I know, Hinata told me," I giggled.

"You're a freak," he stated.

The hum of chatter that had started up around us turned still at that moment. I didn't know how to respond straight away.

"Thank you," I beamed, my happiness overflowing, "You're so nice."

The silence seemed to deepen after I spoke and I looked around at everyone.

Sakura leaned over and whispered, "He just insulted you."

"No he didn't," I replied bewilderedly, "That was the nicest thing any human's ever said to me."

"So not only strong and fast, but weird too," Shikamaru laughed.

I smiled up at him and then looked back to Sai. Just then, Gai sensei walked into the clearing with Lee and Ten-ten following.

"Great 'secret training' you two," Gai guffawed loudly.

"It was the best training ever Gai sensei," Lee mimicked him.

The girl who followed just sighed.

"You shouldn't be overconfident Gai," Kakashi warned, "My new secret weapon could probably defeat you without any training at all."

"Haha! What secret weapon?" He laughed at his rival, thumping him hard on the back.

"Cera?" Kakashi called.

I looked up at him questioningly.

"How would you like to start training?" he asked.

I jumped to my feet and dashed over squealing, "Really, really? Can I?"

"Sure," he grinned as I stopped in front of them and bounced on the spot.

I realised a problem then and stopped.

"I don't know any jutsu yet," I mumbled.

Kakashi put his hand on my head and said, "Don't worry, you won't need it against Lee."

Gai stared at me, it was starting to get annoying with new people staring. I looked at Lee and he smiled.

"Hi! I am Lee," he introduced himself and held out his hand.

I took it and shook it. Something disgusting smelling blew across my path and I jumped back. Lee looked instantly hurt but I was still trying to rid myself of the hideous odour.

"Onions," I spat.

Everyone around me started laughing at them.

"What does that mean?" Gai inquired.

"You and Lee are onions," Kakashi replied, still chuckling.

"No," I disagreed, "Lee is a chipmunk and Gai is a squirrel. There are some onions in a patch to the 50 metres to the east of here. I can't stand the things."

The laughter died but Kakashi continued with the new knowledge of Gai's scent.

"Have you ever fought in battle?" Lee asked.

"N-no," I replied nervously, "this actually the first time I've ever been anywhere near my own species."

"I noticed earlier you said 'human' instead of person," Kakashi told me, "Why is that?"

"I grew up in the forest," I answered quietly, "My parents are deer. I actually told Kiba this when I got here."

"You just keep getting better and better," Shikamaru chuckled.

"Wow!" Naruto exclaimed, "Can I know what animal I am now?"

"Sure," I agreed.

I got up and walked over to him.

"Fox," I said confidently, "But your smell seems stronger than anyone else, I wonder why."

I considered this for a moment, almost missing the conspiratorial looks that were exchanged all around me.

"What?" I inquired.

"It's nothing my dear," Gai said quickly, "Now how about that training?"

The distraction worked. I placed Sin's nest in Sakura's hands and ran to the edge of the field. Lee followed and stood across form me. I was really nervous.

"Go easy please," I called to him, "This is my first time."

"I'll try," he yelled back, "But I'm not sure how because all of my opponents have been super strong."

This didn't help me. I looked to the group of people and they waved. Shikamaru had climbed down out of the tree to get a better look, but I could hear him mutter, "What a drag." Kakashi and Gai were walking towards us.

"Okay, this is just a practice fight, so try not to kill each other," Kakashi droned from the edge of the large arena.

"Play fair, try your best and have fun," Gai added enthusiastically, giving a thumbs up to Lee.

"I will Gai sensei," Lee replied, also with a thumbs up.

I couldn't believe their scents were different all. It was just like watching a baby bird with his mum on their first flight lesson. Kakashi looked at me and nodded. I prepared myself for an assault.

"Ready? Begin!" Kakashi called.

Lee took off towards me, but he seemed a little slow. He aimed a kick and I dodged effortlessly. He aimed another and missed again. I started to laugh. It was amusing to see him go easy on me.

As a punch went past my shoulder I whispered, "You can try harder," in his ear.

I danced away from him towards the other side of the field. He turned and I hopped on the spot.

"Come on Lee!" Gai cheered.

I looked to the spectators, some were focused intensely on the battle and other were clapping and cheering. I heard Lee take off from the other side of the circle, trying to take advantage of my momentary distraction. I looked to Sai and he waved. My heart skipped a beat and the next swing almost hit me. Lee fought more ferociously and it was more challenging to dodge the blows, but still manageable.

"Fight me!" Lee yelled, throwing punch after punch, "Stop being a coward and fight!"

I giggled at his taunts and continued to dodge, conserving my energy for when I really needed it. His hands and feet were attacking any part of air that my body occupied, sometimes missing by milliseconds. I dashed away from him as I found an opening. He was panting now and I yawned and stretched.

"She's never trained?" Gai questioned.

"Never," Kakashi grinned broadly under his mask.

"Amazing," Naruto mumbled, stupefied.

I turned again to look at Sai and waved shyly. Naruto nudged him and smiled. Sakura looked at me puzzled and then shrugged, so did Ino.

"I guess animal girl's too stupid to know how to fight back," Lee called.

This pricked my annoyance.

"She can't fight, so she dodges and runs away like any stupid animal," Lee smirked.

"You're in for it now Lee," Kakashi chuckled.

I growled at him and poised to strike. He lifted a finger and beckoned for me to try him. I shot like a rocket at him his face only began to register shock as I caught him in the stomach with a punch. He flew 5 metres into the air and I jumped and kicked him under the chin. We fell back to the ground, him on his face, me on my tiptoes, bouncing. I lifted him as I had with Neji and returned the smirk he'd given me.

"Now," I clarified, "You were talking about how stupid animals are, and that I'm only god at running away?"

"Lee!" Gai yelled in surprise as his prized student was disabled by my attacks.

"Okay, that's enough," Kakashi called, ending the fight.

"Apologise," I ordered a gasping Lee before placing him on his feet.

He doubled over and tried to retrieve his lost breath.

"Well?" I questioned after several minutes.

"S-sorry," he spluttered as Gai rubbed and patted his back.

"Thank you!" I smiled, "But don't resort to mean tricks in future, or you'll end up with a kicked ass again."

I spun and skipped to my applauding friends.

"How did you learn to move so fast?" Naruto asked.

"My dad taught me that the faster you move, the better chance of getting away," I laughed embarrassed.

"That's so cool!" he exclaimed.

"Hey Cera," Sakura started, handing me Sin's nest back.

"What is it?" I inquired as I placed it back on my head.

"Would you like to come and hang out with us for a while?" Ino asked.

"Okay," I

I waved to everyone and they said their goodbyes to me. We left the area and they led me to a new part of town. I followed silently contemplating why I felt so weird around Sai.

"Sooo," Ino giggled, spinning to face me.

"So what?" I asked confusedly.

"Sai," Sakura stated, grinning.

Ooh~~ wonder what's gonna happen! teehee told you it would be girly next.


	4. Hanging Out With The Girls

Girly time! yay! plus a surprise visit and a little trouble, read to find out!

"I was just thinking about him," I replied dreamily.

The two glanced at each other and smiled.

"You like him," Ino hedged.

"Yeah," I agreed, "he's nice and quiet, and he feels safe to be around."

"You 'like' like him," Sakura continued.

"What's the difference?" I asked innocently.

"Well, one as a friend," Sakura explained, "and the other, more than friends."

"I don't know if it's either," I replied thoughtfully.

"How is that possible?" Ino asked incredulously.

"I don't really know what he's really like. I mean, he could have some secret behind the fake smile," I explained, "Think about it, he didn't think he had emotions for a while, and we haven't really had a long talk to get to know each other. I don't want to assume everything by just talking to people around him instead of the actual person himself."

I took a deep breath.

"You're right," Sakura sighed.

Ino didn't say anything and looked as though she hadn't understood a word I'd said.

"Would you like to change clothes?" Sakura asked.

I looked down at the tattered top and three quarter pants mum had stolen a year ago.

"Yes please," I accepted quickly, "but what will I change into?"

"You can come back to my place," Ino offered, "and borrow something of mine, they look like they'd fit you."

I already knew that humans wore clothes from studying them in the forest. I'd watched them for 24 hours straight and they only seemed to remove their clothes to put other clothes on or to wash themselves.

"Let's go then," Sakura enthused.

They both grabbed my arms and lead me to our destination. My mind started to wander as they talked about what I would wear. I thought of how my dad would be anxious to hear from me as soon as possible. I thought about sending Sin, but decided against it. The size letter he'd be expecting would be too large for her to carry.

Suddenly there was a shout of, "Deer!"

"Oh my goodness," came a woman's voices.

'Where is she?' I heard an all too familiar voice.

"Dad?" I whispered to myself and ran to him.

'Cera!' he jumped in surprise.

'Hi Cera's daddy,' Sin peeped jumping and landing on his head

'Hello sweety,' he laughed, 'Have you been looking after Cera?'

'Yup, yup,' she twittered and flew around his head.

"Sin, i don't think now's the time for fun," I said exasperatedly.

She flew back into her nest quietly after seeing my face. i hoped she wasn't too upset with me.

"You shouldn't be here," I chastised.

'I know," he hung his head, 'you're mum's going to kill me as well.'

"She'd be right to do so," I agreed "it would scare her half to death to know you came here."

'Yes, but it scared me to know you were here,' he mumbled.

"These people are the same as me, dad," I consoled him, "they won't hurt me like they would you."

"You're dad?" Ino's voice said behind me.

I jumped and dad huffed at her.

"Dad," I warned.

"He's really cute," Sakura complimented.

I held him still as she reached out to pet him.

"And soft," Ino agreed, petting him too.

"You girls should stay away from that," came a male voice.

It was one of the guards from the front gate.

"It might have diseases or attack you," he warned.

'Diseases!' Dad snorted at him.

"He wouldn't do that," I replied standing up.

"You don't know," he told me, "It's a wild animal. He ran past us at the gate and kicked when we got close."

"You did that?" I turned and asked, glaring.

'Maybe a little,' he replied bashfully.

"I assure you he means no harm," I told the guard.

"Well there's no way you could possibly know that," he smirked.

I smiled ruefully back at him and growled, "You don't think so?"

"Don't do it, Cera," Sakura grabbed me.

"He's not worth it like Neji," Ino whispered.

"Well, maybe he shouldn't make assumptions," I hissed and he jumped back at the look I gave him.

"I'd run," Ino warned.

"She took out Neji Hyuuga in one strike," Sakura added.

"H-hyuuga?" he stuttered, retreating.

"That's right," I smirked, "Now run along and leave any 'wild' or 'dangerous' animals to me."

He turned and ran off. I felt better after I couldn't see the taunting look on his face anymore.

"Thanks," I breathed to the girls.

"I don't think you're out of it yet," Ino said.

"Why?" I inquired.

"He'll probably head to the Hokage's office and warn her that a dangerous nin has entered the village," Sakura explained.

"Oh well," I sighed, turning to dad again.

He smiled at me and then at Ino and Sakura.

'I think I should leave,' he told me.

"That's probably best," I agreed.

"Tell them I trust they'll look after you," he continued.

"Of course," I nodded.

"Goodbye," he said, turning and walking away.

"Bye dad," I waved as he disappeared around a corner.

"What did he say?" Sakura asked.

"He trusts you two to look after me," I replied, a tear streaming down my face.

Ino smiled and said, "We should go get you changed then."

I laughed and we started walking again. I noticed that a lot of people who had witnessed the scene were staring. I was really unhappy about that, but I guess I couldn't blame them. In their minds, I'd just stood up for some dumb animal, gone to attack a guard ninja and even called a deer, 'dad.'

We arrived at Ino's, her dad greeted us and we went into her room.

"You should try this and this," Ino rushed as she threw random clothes at me, "and this would be cute."

I dropped them into a pile and something caught my eye. It was a striped, black and white top. The pattern was beautiful and I just had to have it. Ino threw some shorts at me then. I picked them up and had a good look at them.

"They're denim," Ino said, "they're to big for me but you can have them. You can keep the shirt too, it never really suited me."

I beamed and bounded off into the bathroom Ino had shown me on the way in. When I came out the girls were waiting. They beamed and nodded their approval.

"It definitely suits you," Sakura complimented.

"Tiger stripes for the animal girl, not bad," Ino agreed.

"Now the hair," Ino said excitedly.

I took Sin off of my head and she watched as the two girls washed and pulled at my hair. In the end, it was parted into two on the sides of my head and was so shiny and soft.

"Perfect," Ino finished the final touch, a flower clip.

"We should go back," Sakura said, checking the time.

"They probably think we've kidnapped you," Ino giggled.

I smiled at the prospect of seeing Sai again and hurried ahead of the two back to the clearing. When I got there, my heart sank. No one was to be seen. I sniffed the air as Sakura and Ino joined me.

"They're gone!" Ino threw her arms up in frustration.

"They've probably just gone to get lunch," Sakura calmed her.

I walked over to where Sai had been seated and caught his scent.

"This way," I told them, tracking the scent.

They followed me through the town and we ended up at a place called, Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"I should have known," Sakura sighed, entering.

"I'll go find my team," Ino told me, "I can guess where they are by myself."

"Thanks for the clothes," I called and waved as she ran off.

I entered the small place and found Sakura already eating a bowl of food, Naruto eating his way through a tenth bowl and Sai and Kakashi playing with their food. My stomach growled at the delicious scents filling the confined space.

"Oh, hey Cera," Naruto mumbled through a mouth of food, "You want some? Kakashi's treat."

Kakashi looked sadly at his wallet and then apologetically at me.

"It's okay," I resisted the offer. My stomach snarled back at me in protest.

"Two more," Naruto ordered.

"Same appetite as ever, eh Naruto?" the man behind the counter laughed.

"Yes sir," Naruto agreed and saluted.

The man brought the bowls out to him and he handed one to me.

"Eat up," Naruto instructed, "you'll need your anergy for more training."

I smiled and sat down at the counter. Sai had taken a seat at the very end and was next to Kakashi, so i had to sit between Naruto and Sakura. Naruto downed his bowl instantly and belched loudly.

"Eww," I complained, waving a hand in front of my face.

Sakura pinched her noes and looked at him, disgusted.

"'scuse me," he sighed, patting his now bulbous stomach.

Ichiraku always has the best ramen, don't you think. lol hope you enjoyed cus i have to think of where it'll go from here. cya X3


	5. In Trouble With No Escape

I had fun writing this part. too bad you guys'll hate me cus of the cliffhanger and it's not as obvious as you think. ;) enjoy X3

"Do you have to be such," Sakura started.

"A pig?" I finished.

Both of us started choking on the disgusting odour.

"So Cera," Kakashi started, "Where are you staying?"

I looked up and blinked. Where was I going to stay?

"I'll probably camp out in that training ground," I thought aloud.

"You can't do that!" Naruto protested.

"Why not?" I shot back, "I've lived like that my entire life."

"Why not stay with me?" Sakura offered.

Sai looked at me and pulled out a book. I couldn't read what it said on the front, which led me to realize that I couldn't read at all.

"She could stay with me," Sai said snapping the book closed.

"That's not a goo-," Kakashi started but I cut across.

"Sure," I beamed and smiled.

Sakura sighed in frustration and the other boys eyed me suspiciously.

I walked around them as they started whispering. Sai, who had opened his book again, looked up and smiled at my approach.

"Hello," I said shyly.

"Hello," he copied me.

"What are you reading?" I asked curiously.

"It's a book about the interrelationships of people in modern society," he replied, setting the book on his lap.

I stared at him for a second, confusedly.

He chuckled lightly. "It's about how to communicate with people and their emotions."

"Really?" I inquired, circling behind him and looking at the book.

"Yes," he said, lifting the book to read again.

"Could you read some to me?" I asked, getting excited, "It's a little hard for me sometimes."

"I can imagine," he said sadly, not looking at me.

"I heard about what happened to you from Hinata," I sighed, resting against the counter, "Its so sad."

"Too bad I can't understand these feelings yet," he sighed.

After that, he quietly began to read again. I stood behind him, listening to whatever was around me. I didn't want disturb Sai's reading and the others had started to talk about a mission and training again. The shop owners cooked behind me and I could hear Sin's slow breathing. She'd fallen asleep in the nest.

"Hmm," Sai murmured.

I leaned over to look at the book and there was a picture of a red object on the page.

"What is that?" I whispered.

"It says here it's called a heart," he replied in a voice as low as mine.

"What does it mean?" I continued.

"Here it says, 'A heart is used to signify the emotion love, be it between members of a family, for an animal or pet, or romantically between a couple,'" he read out.

"Sounds nice," I sighed.

"Love can also hurt," he said solemnly.

"Yes, but that's only when you let the love die," I whispered to him.

He turned to me then and I smiled. Our faces were so close and I felt mine turn hot.

"Well!" Kakashi clapped suddenly and I jumped in surprise, "We should get started on your special training."

I was excited at this prospect.

"You're not turning into Gai-sensei and bushy brow, are you Kakashi Sensei?" Naruto groaned.

"Don't worry Naruto," he chuckled, "This isn't really secret, more teaching the basics of ninjutsu techniques."

Naruto seemed content with this, which was almost the opposite of me. I felt like bouncing off the walls but simply stuck to hopping on the spot. It was just one good thing after another today.

"Hmm?' Kakashi looked up towards the entrance of the small shop.

A person wearing a black cloak and a cat-like mask entered. The air seemed to chill as he looked at each person's face. His eyes came to rest on mine.

"The girl is to be taken to the Hokage immediately," a deep voice spoke.

"I will escort her myself," Kakashi responded automatically.

The mysterious person nodded and then disappeared.

"Is there anything I missed while you guys were, 'hanging out'?" Kakashi asked, looking directly at Sakura and I.

"Umm," I stalled, "Well my Dad showed up, and then the guard who was at the gate showed up and then I got mad, and he ran away."

Kakashi sighed and grabbed my arm.

"Come on," he said, "the Hokage is a very busy woman."

I pulled my arm free and placed Sai's hand on the same spot.

"I'd prefer someone my age to be my escort," I insisted.

I expected a fight because I was considered a threat now but Kakashi just shrugged and I wondered what would have happened if I'd gone to Naruto or Sakura. Kakashi led us through the town. We met up with Ino, Shikamaru, another more rounded boy eating a bag of chips, and an older man with a cigarette who must have been Asuma.

"We heard," Ino said, running up and hugging me, "there's no way I'd leave you to go in there without me."

"This is such a drag," Shikamaru complained, "She'll be fine."

"Is that the girl Shikamaru?" the other boy asked.

"That's her Chouji," Shikamaru chuckled.

"Wow!" he appraised, "You're really cute!'

I blushed and hid behind Sai shyly.

Shikamaru turned and whispered in his ear. I heard him say, "She's taken," and Chouji pouted.

"We'd better hurry," Asuma urged. "We don't want the wrath of the Hokage on our hands.

"Who's the hokage?" I whispered to Sakura.

"She's the woman in charge of looking after the village," she replied, "Her name is lady Tsunade."

We turned up at the large building and Kakashi knocked on the door. There was no reply. He tried again, still the same. He pushed open the door to the Hokage's office and we found her sleeping on her desk.

"So much for a busy woman and powerful wrath," I giggled.

She woke at that moment and mumbled, "Huh? Who's there?"

"We've brought Cera," Kakashi announced.

"Who?" She slurred.

A slender black haired woman hurried past our party carrying a pig.

"It's the girl you requested," she informed the hokage in a hushed voice.

"Oh, yeah," the hokage mumbled, slowly coming out of her daze.

"What is it you wish to see her for?" Kakashi inquired.

_Like you don't know,_ I thought.

"There has been a report that a dangerous person has entered the village under false pretenses," Tsunade said, rubbing her eyes and sitting up, "That person was isolated by ANBU to be this girl. She fits the description given by a guard attending an animal that had entered the village as well."

She looked at me with piercing eyes and I cowered under her gaze. Kakashi pulled me into full view and I started to shake. No matter what species I was, I was animal at heart and it felt like I'd been cornered with nowhere to run.

"This is her," he said, holding my arm.

"Tell me your name," she ordered.

"C-Cera," I stuttered nervously.

"What were your intentions in coming here?" Tsunade continued in the same commanding voice.

"I wanted to meet humans," I answered quietly.

"Humans?" she said questioningly.

I nodded and she continued with her interrogation.

"Why did you want to meet 'humans'?" she asked.

"Because I live in the forest with animals and I've never met any before," I responded trying to hide but Kakashi held me still.

"You must have," she insisted, "What about your parents?"

"I was abandoned when I was a baby," I mumbled.

"Then how is it that you've been alive this long!" she yelled, slamming her fist on her desk in frustration and causing it to groan in protest.

I felt as small as a mouse against this powerful attacker, even if she wasn't even touching me.

"I was raised by deer!" I yelled back, closing my eyes to escape her horrifying stare.

I started writhing and clawing at Kakashi's hand, trying to escape his grasp. The attempt failed miserably but I didn't want to fight with this woman here.

"Is this true Kakashi?" I heard her ask through closed eyes and my mind focused on escape.

"That's what she's been telling all of us," Kakashi replied.

"The deer was her dad," Sakura added.

"Do you seriously think I would believe that?" the Hokage asked incredulously.

I felt soft hands on my sides, but they weren't restraining so I ignored them and continued my attempt at freedom.

"We can prove it!" Ino insisted.

"How?" Tsunade asked, "There are no animals here!"

'What's with the yelling?' Sin peeped angrily from my head, 'I was sleeping!'

"Sin!" Sakura and Ino chorused.

"A bird?" Tsunade did a double take, "On her head?"

I stopped writhing and opened my eyes slowly to see her looking at me in a curious way rather than a menacing one.

"Th-this is Sin," I introduced her quietly, "She's my best friend."

'Cera, Cera,' she tweeted taking flight and circling me.

I watched her fly and heard the people behind me sigh in relief. I saw then who was holding me.

Sorry for the delay but after my usb erased what i'd written, i just couldn't bring myself to try and retype. This part is actually a bit different to what i had originally, before it was wiped.


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